Birth Defects News and Research

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New research will use mathematics to solve mysteries in cell biology

A new interdisciplinary research and education center at the University of California, Irvine will apply the power of mathematics to some of the more vexing mysteries in cell biology.

25 May 2018

Study finds fewer than 5% of low-income, urban mothers use prenatal vitamins before pregnancy

A study of more than 7,000 low-income, urban mothers enrolled in the Boston Birth Cohort found that fewer than 5 percent of them started folic acid supplementation and used it almost daily before pregnancy, a widely recommended public health measure designed to prevent potentially crippling birth defects.

24 May 2018

Drugmakers blamed for blocking generics have milked prices and cost U.S. billions

Makers of brand-name drugs called out by the Trump administration for potentially stalling generic competition have hiked their prices by double-digit percentages since 2012 and cost Medicare and Medicaid nearly $12 billion in 2016, a Kaiser Health News analysis has found.

23 May 2018

Research offers clues to how random gene fluctuations may be tamed during earliest stages of life

Scientists exploring how to tame random gene fluctuations as the embryos that become our bodies start to form have identified a control switch in the vertebrate segmentation clock of developing zebrafish.

16 May 2018

Exposure to air pollution in the womb can lead to high blood pressure in childhood

Children who were exposed to higher levels of air pollution during the third trimester of their mother's pregnancy had a higher risk of elevated blood pressure in childhood, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

14 May 2018

Hair products used by Black women contain dozens of hazardous chemicals

A new report published today in the journal Environmental Research shows that Black women are potentially exposed to dozens of hazardous chemicals through the hair products they use.

26 Apr 2018

Scientists identify gene responsible for evolution of recombination rates

Genetics is a crapshoot. During sexual reproduction, genes from both the mother and the father mix and mingle to produce a genetic combination unique to each offspring. In most cases, the chromosomes line up properly and crossover. In some unlucky cases, however, "selfish DNA" enters the mix, causing abnormal crossovers with deletions or insertions in chromosomes, which can manifest as birth defects.

20 Apr 2018

Scientists decipher mechanism of chemotherapy induced female infertility

Many chemotherapeutics act by damaging the DNA. Since cancer cells divide more often than most normal cells, they react more sensitive to DNA damaging agents.

17 Apr 2018

Transcription factor Sp7 found to play key role in tooth development

Amjad Javed, Ph.D., and University of Alabama at Birmingham colleagues have found a key role in tooth development for the transcription factor Specificity protein 7, or Sp7.

11 Apr 2018

Anti-TNF medications appear to be safe for use during pregnancy, study shows

Anti-tumor necrosis factor medications are effective in controlling chronic inflammatory diseases, but some physicians recommend that their patients discontinue them during pregnancy.

5 Apr 2018

Study finds low rates of preconception counseling among women of childbearing age with diabetes

Not enough women of childbearing age who have diabetes are receiving the recommended preconception counseling, a new study suggests.

19 Mar 2018

Researchers develop way to sequence entire fetal genome by modifying prenatal testing method

For the first time, researchers have developed a way to sequence the entire genome of a fetus by modifying the prenatal testing method known as amniocentesis.

16 Mar 2018

Misconceptions about MMR vaccine found to influence usage of Zika vaccine

People's willingness to use a Zika vaccine when it's available will be influenced by how they weigh the risks associated with the disease and the vaccine, but also by their misconceptions about other vaccines, a new study has found.

15 Mar 2018

New guidelines intend to provide template for optimal, most up-to-date DMD care

Diagnostic and treatment advances are helping patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy - one of nine major types of muscular dystrophy that affects males - live into their 30s and beyond, raising challenges in such areas as education, vocation, levels of independence, personal relationships, emotional health, and intimacy.

13 Mar 2018

Researchers create cardiomyocyte molds to mend broken hearts

2.5 billion. That's approximately the number of times the human heart beats in 70 years. And sometimes during the course of its unrelenting contractions and relaxations, the heart muscle can no longer bear the strain.

13 Mar 2018

Researchers developing rapid saliva test to detect Zika virus

Researchers at New York University College of Dentistry, in collaboration with Rheonix, Inc., are developing a novel test for Zika virus that uses saliva to identify diagnostic markers of the virus in a fraction of the time of current commercial tests.

24 Feb 2018

Modifications in HIV test enable rapid detection of Zika virus, study states

A new comprehensive study details a novel test for Zika virus, which utilizes saliva for rapid identification of the diagnostic markers of the virus.

23 Feb 2018

New study identifies mechanisms to lengthen egg viability in worms

Women have been told for years that if they don't have children before their mid-30s, they may not be able to. But a new study from Princeton University's Coleen Murphy has identified a drug that extends egg viability in worms, even when taken midway through the fertile window, which could theoretically extend women's fertility by three to six years.

23 Feb 2018

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy could result in birth of obese children

Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women could preprogram babies to grow into obese children and adults, according to a Keck School of Medicine of USC-led study.

13 Feb 2018

People who survive childhood heart defects may be at elevated risk of developing dementia

People born with heart defects who survive into adulthood may be at higher risk of developing dementia, particularly dementia that starts before 65 years of age, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

12 Feb 2018